Note: The first book in this series is Blood Bound. This review will spoil nothing from that book or this one, but this review assumes you’re familiar with the world set in the Unbound series.

Reading Shadow Bound is an experience. A heady, dark journey that causes one to dip into both ends of the emotional spectrum, often in rapid succession.

I had to read this book in smaller chunks over 10 days because the material is very heavy and emotional. That didn’t diminish Rachel Vincent’s brilliance here. Heroine Kori’s journey strips her raw and forces her to second guess everything — kindness from others, promises, the future, the past and even her own reactions.

Hero Ian doesn’t even understand the game he’s playing. And there’s a game here. When he finally understands why Kori refused to trust his genuine interest in her, his world — and what he knew about her, her sister and the syndicate — changes. Significantly.

Shadow Bound plays with your emotions. It’s twisted. And dark. And heartbreaking. And, really, a complete mindfuck. In the most glorious way.

I was horrified and hopeful reading Shadow Bound because the characters’ emotions are so strong you can’t help but take them into yourself. Reading Shadow Bound is an intense journey — maybe even painful — but it’s worth every agonizing moment.

I LOVED Blood Bound. It was probably my favorite of all Rachel Vincent’s books. But I think I loved this one more. It was amazing and heart-breaking and satisfying and horrifying all at once. Can’t wait for Oath Bound!

Finally got around to reading this. I pre-ordered it months in advance and then left it for days while I finished reading the entire Immortals After Dark series – had to find out what happened with Lothaire!

I really enjoyed this, I have to say part of my reluctance to start was because of the ending of Blood Bound, I feared that this would be a series in which our heroine gets progressively more destroyed by life and circumstances. So I was pleased to see that this was simply a tangentially related story. I’ve heard some criticisms of the two main characters but I thought they were well-written and internally consistent. Looking forward to Oath Bound now!